Even if you don't live in Ontario, please feel free to contribute. I live in Quebec and it's had a positive effect on ME personally, which in turn has helped my dealings with the school and hopefully made it a safer place for my kids.

My daughter only became anaphylactic this year, so I can't personally compare the way things are with the way they used to be, but my friend works at the high school where her peanut/nut allergic daughter goes and she is impressed by the fact that the principal is going to meet with each and every family of anaphylactic children. Thiis probably would not have happened without Sabrina's Law.

I think that to have things mandated the way they are creates more awareness with the staff and that's a huge plus. I got my daughter's anaphylaxis package yesterday and everybody plays a part: the anaphylactic child, the parents, the teachers, the admin staff, etc., even the bus drivers.

I feel lucky that all these procedures were already in place. I am grateful to the "pioneers" who had to pave the road for us. I'm sure they fought an uphill battle all the way. And it is too bad that it took something like Sabrina's death to make these procedures official, but I am very positive that it will prevent more deaths.

_________________15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Personally I don't think Sabrina's Law has had any direct effect on my or my child.

His school was already well prepared before he started school. His school (appears to me) to go beyond what Sabrina's Law mandates.Examples of this are that all staff at his school is trained on epi-pen, which I don't think is part of the law. They have a peanut ban, also not required by the law. They already had some things in place for latex and insect allergies as well.

I did have a meeting with the principal last year, and that resulted in a change for the entire school -- but it was in September, so before the law, and it's also not mandated, we just agreed on the best course of action.

Sabrina's Law has given me the frame work or the words with which to address the school.
It has presented a standard which I can expect them to meet.
It isn't a bubble to wrap my child in. It is the basic framework in which we as a team (school/parents/student) to protect her.
I am grateful to Sabrina's parents for their strength and determination to make this happen after suffering the tragic loss of their child.
From what I read about Sabrina Shannon, she was very much involved in educating others regarding allergy issues.
I think she would be pleased at how Ontario has responded.

It now includes the allergysafecommunities.ca link and the Ontario e-workshop on Sabrina's Law for educators, in addition to the legisaltion link and so on. Thought it would be a handy reference stop for those organizing, advocating or even just talking to an individual school. /Gwen

It is so sad that a young girl had to die to make these changes and I hope that other children need not die to get similar laws passed in all provinces.

At the school where I teach, mosty of our students are new Canadians and communication is an issue. One year we discovered half way throught the year that a boy had a peanut allergy. The parents had never communicated this with us. If something were to have happened, we were not at all prepared. Since Sabrina's Law passed, despite having no allergic students, we have all been trained by a Public Health Nurse ( 1/2 hour workshop, including every teacher practising with the Epipen trainer) and we have an Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan.

I'm re-raising this topic, as I'm curious both about the positive changes in schools since the law took effect, and the challenges that may remain in individual schools.

Wondering about some of these issues:

- Are EpiPens now readily available (as opposed to locked in an administrator's office)?
- Teacher / supply teacher training - are you seeing improvements?
- Lunchroom supervision: a fairly common complaint has been that it's not good enough - too few monitors for numbers of kids eating in their classes or lunchrooms. Anyone seeing improvements?
- What are the challenges that remain?

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